Explanation
Use "fewer" with plural count nouns. Use "less" with uncountable nouns.
For example, "We have fewer chairs in this room." Here, "We" is the subject, "have" is the verb, "fewer" shows a smaller number, and "chairs" is a plural count noun. Japanese often says "少ない" for both, but English separates number and amount. So you say "fewer chairs" but "less water."
「fewer」は数えられる名詞の複数形と一緒に使います。「less」は数えられない名詞と一緒に使います。
たとえば "We have fewer chairs in this room." では、"We" が主語、"have" が動詞、"fewer" が「数が少ない」ことを表し、"chairs" は数えられる名詞の複数形です。日本語ではどちらも「少ない」で言えますが、英語では数と量を分けます。だから "fewer chairs" は言えても、"less chairs" は普通は言いません。
Examples
- We need fewer chairs. 私たちはもっと少ない数の椅子が必要です。
- I have less time today. 今日は時間があまりありません。
- There are fewer buses on Sundays. 日曜日はバスの本数が少ないです。
- Do you want less sugar in your tea? 紅茶の砂糖を少なめにしますか。
- We don't need fewer meetings next week. 来週は会議の回数をこれ以上減らす必要はありません。
- This bag has less weight, but it has fewer pockets. このかばんは軽いですが、ポケットの数は少ないです。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often say "less people" or "fewer money." Use "fewer" with plural count nouns like "people," "cars," and "books." Use "less" with uncountable nouns like "money," "water," and "time."
Wrong: "less people" -> Right: "fewer people."
Wrong: "fewer money" -> Right: "less money."
日本人学習者は "less people" や "fewer money" と言いがちです。"people"、"cars"、"books" のような数えられる名詞には "fewer" を使います。"money"、"water"、"time" のような数えられない名詞には "less" を使います。
誤り: "less people" -> 正しくは "fewer people."
誤り: "fewer money" -> 正しくは "less money."